Never Too Late
by LeLaLucy
Summary: She has returned home, pregnant and not entirely sure what she is going to do with the rest of her life. Can her childhood friends and family help guide her and show her what to do. AH AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Okay so i deleted my first story because i felt that it was terrible and i felt no drive to carry on. This is my second attempt at writing, not entirely sure it's any good but i will try and update as often as I can, I do however have important GCSE exams in about a month so we'll see how it goes. I don't own twilight or and of its characters.**

As I drove through the borders of my tiny hometown i thought of the last time I had been there and how much things had changed in the past few years after leaving and not looking back.

"Why are you doing this?" i asked myself as i passed my old high school. I could have easily said no to Alice's request, saying I was too busy or something, anything, and yet I chose to return to a place which held many painful memories. However, as I drove around places from my childhood and adolescence the painful memories began to peel away allowing me a peek at the joyful times I had with my friends and family, of the park we used to play in and our elementary school. Those good memories, I reminded myself, are the reason I had returned, to honor a childhood agreement I had shared with my dearest friend, well that and the slight hope that this small town would allow my little bump the same joys it had me, something i felt could not be achieved in such a hustle bustle city as New York.

Driving along the long Cullen driveway had made me more nervous than I had been before, I hadn't seen Alice or the rest of the family in years and I had only stayed in contact with Alice, i didn't even want to think about her brother. Edward. Edward had broken my heart and I his, causing me to flee quickly and not return to Forks even after I had graduated like I know the rest of our group had, according to Alice.

I sat outside the Cullen's mansion, that is the only way to describe it, and pondered as to whether I was doing the right thing to help Alice with her wedding, she wouldn't have been too upset, surely, if I had said no, she could have asked Rosalie, who would have been a much better choice anyway. I'm sure i could find another perfectly good little town where me and Bean could be quite happy. But i couldn't do that to Alice, throw away the close bond we had a children, no, I could face my heartache for the sake of her.

My silent wanderings were cut to the end my a little knock on the window of my Mini.

"Bella? Are you gonna come in or are you just gonna sit there daydreaming until I'm back from my honeymoon" the familiar voice of Alice joked. I immediately leapt from the car and pulled her into a tight embrace. I had forgotten how much I had missed her and knew right then i had made the right decision by coming back.

" Urm Bella, no offence but you seem slightly tubbier than you were last time I saw you" Alice said kindly.

"Oh yeah, about that, I'm pregnant, well you can guess that…" I said mumbling.

" I'm only joking, silly, you look amazing! I'm so happy for you Bells." She said hugging me tight again. " Now come on, Mom and Dad have been dying to see you, you shouldn't have stayed away so long, I know it was hard but we love you and missed you when you were gone!" Alice continued as she began to drag me into the house and into the main living room where i knew everyone was waiting.

I was quickly swamped by hugs from the people I had once considered family, whom i had missed terribly I now realised as I felt all their familiar hugs, Jasper's was light and friendly, Emmett's was bone crunching, Rosalie's was soft despite all her sharp model like edges, Carlisle's was like a childhood safety blanket and Esme's was so warm comforting and motherly it made me regret, once again not coming back. But there was one hug missing and a pang in my heart made me realise that was the one I had been wishing most for, Edward's.

Esme stood back from our long hug and held my hands as she looked me up and down to see how the past few years had changed me.

"Oh Bella!" she squeaked almost as she spied my bump. "How far are you?! This is so exciting! Why didn't you tell us Bella was having a baby, Alice?" she said turning to her daughter.

"Because I didn't tell her," I interrupted before Ali could reply. " And I'm just over five months" I couldn't help grinning back.

"And where's this surely charming man who helped you along the way" Esme smiled and winked at me only to see some of the happy gone from my face.

"What's wrong my dear" She asked comfortingly, "Emmett, go put the kettle on, I'm sure Bella will want a tea after her long journey" She told her eldest son as she gestured for me to sit down on one of the many sofas.

"There is no lovely man, Esme, Bean's father and I decided it was best to split ways, he wasn't father material and I'm fine with that." Esme embraced me once again, tight and motherly.

" Now that's over with" I said, trying to return the happy air to the room. " Let me see how well Jasper did on that ring".

We spent hours talking about wedding plans, my baby plans and catching up. The carefree attitude and chatter we had all shared when we were little had returned despite my long absence from the group. I wasn't until I heard the door open and a voice, whose exact smooth, honey texture came flooding back, said my name in greeting.

"Edward" I breathed and turned to see the bottomless green eyes that I had missed so much more than I could even begin to fathom.

**A/N Please review and tell me what you think. Until next time :) x**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N S****orry that it's been a few weeks since I uploaded the first chapter of Never Too Late but as i said i do have important exams that i should probably be revising for…. Anyway THANK YOU everyone for favoriting and following and reviewing (****LuvinTwilight143) I love you all! Now lets see what happens between our dear Bella and Edward! **

**I don't own anything (except Bean :)) :(**

I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I had looked into those eyes many times before, I had fallen in love with them more and more each day over my last two years in high school. My memory had not done them justice, I had forgotten just how endlessly deep they were, how much emotion and love they could possible show. The depth of Edward's sorrow and guilt shone in his eyes, and I am sure it was shining equally in mine, we both had a role to play in our separation. If I had returned after graduation like the others, maybe we could have worked out our problems, been together. It couldn't happen now, not if I was having another man's child.

'I think it's time for me to go,' I said breaking the silence. 'I have been here all day and I'm sure you're all sick of me' I joked.

'No, no, no.' Esme insisted, 'Stay for tea! We haven't seen you for years! We're not sick of you yet! Plus we still have many things to plan and to set in motion, for both you and Alice.' Esme headed towards the kitchen, presumably to check on the food that was no doubt cooking in the oven as food always had when we were younger. Thinking of the delicious food we had all eaten in this house years ago, I agreed to stay for tea. I sat back down, not realising i had stood up.

' Can we speak alone?' Edward half asked me awkwardly, and half asked his family, willing them to leave us in private.

I nodded to both him and Alice, silently telling her it was okay, I wanted to speak with him too.

Alice ussured everyone out of the room and we were left alone.

Edward, part of me wanted to avoid talking to him, avoid the inevitable rejection, how could he still love me after all these years, how could he still love me when it was another man's child that was growing inside me.

'Bella' Edward said when we were alone, he stood and rushed to give me a hug. It felt odd to be in his arms after these five years, and yet they still felt safe, they still were warm, they still felt like home. I pulled myself out of his grip. I couldn't do this. I couldn't let myself hope, these arms would never be home again.

'Bella, please, I'm sorry, you have to know I never meant what I said, I would have stayed with you, helped you grieve. You didn't need to go so far away, you still had family here, even with Charlie gone.' Edward began to ramble.

Charlie, my dad, the main reason I had left. He was died. Heart attack. He wasn't even that old. I had returned home in the morning, after a night at the Cullen's' and there was just an ambulance outside the house. There had been nothing anyone could have done to help him.

'You said nothing wrong, I understand, you were young and you were also missing Charlie, you knew him all your life too. You didn't need a grieving girlfriend just as your life was just beginning.' i said back to him tears formed in my eyes as I thought of my father. ' Stupid hormones' I half laughed as I wiped them away.

'I will never forgive myself for saying those words, saying I couldn't cope with your grieving, I should have stood by you. and maybe… maybe if i had this would be our wedding, our baby.' Edward said the last part quietly, almost as if he didn't want me to hear him.

'Edward, you can't say things like that! It hurts to think about what we could have been together, what we could have had together. You think that I didn't think about that after i left, you think I don't regret not coming back earlier? I loved you Edward and you broke my heart when you said that you couldn't cope and you're breaking it again talking about what could have been because we both know it can't happen anymore. Our quiet discussion was quickly becoming heated, I needed it to calm down again for my little bean.

'I'm sorry Bella, I know we can't be what we were a few years ago, but i would like us to be friends, and I'd like to meet baby's father, make sure he's treating you right. I'm guessing he came here with you? Why didn't you bring him over?' Edward said too quickly for me to believe anything he said.

'He's not here, we aren't together anymore. He wasn't father material, but I'm fine with that. He was hardly my dream guy.' I told Edward. ' He was a 24 year old guy who liked to have fun and was good to have fun with but I knew we wouldn't last much longer anyway,' I explained to him when he looked like he wanted to go find Jacob and strangle him, it made me want to chuckle, which I did and Edward gave me an odd look.

'I'm glad he didn't cause you took much heartbreak then!' Edward said with a smirk 'Or i would have to hunt him down and feed him his balls for breakfast.' his last statement lightened the air to something near to what it used to be when we were little.

With some of the clear air, we spent what felt like nothing catching up and talking about what we had done when we both had gone our separate ways. I felt like we were almost back to how we were together, it was comfortable and familiar, it was only when we were called to tea did I again realise we couldn't be like that again, because of me. I stood up and joined the others in the dining room, feeling my first heartbreak again as if it were yesterday.

**Ahhh poor Bella, she still loves Eddie :( **

**I hope you enjoyed chapter 2! Please review it would mean soooo much to me! I will try and update sooner this time but I can't promise anything. Love you all! Every mistake is mine **


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